He cited the days when both were assistants at Notre Dame and their daily routine included a jog around campus that inevitably turned into a race by the end.

"It was pretty much a tie every time," Mullen said with a grin.

So with Florida mired in its first two-game losing streak since 2007, Mullen says the question isn't if Meyer will get the Gators back to the top of the Southeastern Conference, it's when. He just hopes his Bulldogs can sneak out of The Swamp with a victory on Saturday night before it happens.

"They're going to get things turned around there," Mullen said. "They're going to get things fixed. They lost to two top 10 teams, so it's not like they've lost to lesser teams. Those were really good football teams."

Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) has won three straight, including Saturday's 47-24 victory over Houston. But the Bulldogs have traditionally had a tough time winning games at The Swamp -- with 15 straight losses dating back to 1965.

The degree of difficulty might be even harder this time around, considering Florida (4-2, 2-2) should be highly motivated as they try to regain their footing after losses to Alabama and LSU.

Mississippi State hasn't played a conference game since beating Georgia 24-12 on Sept. 25.

"We've got to get back adjusted to the speed (of the SEC)," Mullen said. "Florida's one of the fastest teams, if not the fastest team, in the country. They're loaded with talent."

Mullen returns to The Swamp for the first time since 2008. He spent four seasons as Florida's offensive coordinator under Meyer, helping the Gators win two national titles.

Mississippi State lost to Florida 29-19 in Starkville last season. Despite losing, Mullen said the game was an important turning point for his players because they started to realize they weren't far from beating one of the best programs in the country.

In that game, MSU freshman cornerback Johnthan Banks intercepted two passes. Now a sophomore, he said the Bulldogs are much more confident bunch.

"I'm not trying to be cocky, but we know we can win," Banks said. "We've got to go out and do what we do. I feel like we've got one of the best teams in the country when we're playing well."

Last year, much was made about Mullen's knowledge of Florida's personnel because he recruited and coached so much of the Gators' offense. Now two years removed, Mullen didn't think there would be as much familiarity, even though he recruited and coached current quarterback John Brantley.

Brantley, who was banged up during Saturday's loss to LSU, is expected to play against Mississippi State despite bruised ribs and a sprained thumb.

"It's very different in how they do things," Mullen said. "They have very different personnel than the last game I was there. Everybody's always going to tweak. But I don't think their philosophy has changed -- it's still spreading the field and getting the ball to playmakers and try to get one on ones."

Mississippi State will counter with an offense that's averaging nearly 32 points per game. Vick Ballard leads the SEC with 12 touchdowns -- 11 rushing and one receiving. The Bulldogs are giving up 17.5 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference.

While last year's Mississippi State-Florida game had a David vs. Goliath feel to it, there's much more of a sense in Starkville that this game is between two teams of more equal status.

"We feel if you've got 11 men on the field and we've got 11 men on the field, we should win," MSU cornerback Corey Broomfield said.